For Immediate Release Music at Saint Alban's Concert
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CONTACT: Robert Patterson for Music at St. Alban’s 718 984 7756 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE MUSIC AT SAINT ALBAN’S CONCERT SERIES TO PRESENT " IT'S THE TALK OF THE TOWN" A MUSICAL TRIBUTE TO JERRY LIVINGSTON, SUNDAY, MAY 31, 2009. Staten Island, NY – May 3, 2009– Music at Saint Alban’s announced today that it will be presenting “IT’S THE TALK OF THE TOWN” a Musical Tribute to Jerry Livingston. This original musical revue conceived and directed by David Flora with musical director Julie Bearden features performers Kyle Gonyea, Jennifer Houston, Holli Leggett, Karen Paulemon and Robert Vest. This performance will take place on Sunday, May 31, 2009 at 3:30 PM in the parish church of Saint Alban’s Episcopal Church, 76 Saint Alban’s Place, Eltingville, Staten Island 10312. Tickets for this concert are priced at just $20 and may be purchased by calling 718-984-7756 or by visiting www.MusicatSaintAlbans.org. A gala reception in the church’s parish hall will follow the concert. Jerry Livingston was one of the leading songwriters of American popular music from the Tin Pan Alley and big band years until the coming of rock ‘n’ roll in the 1960s. He composed the music for such standards as “It’s the Talk of the Town,” “Mairzy Doats,” and “The Twelfth of Never,” along with the score for Walt Disney’s Cinderella and “Caspar the Friendly Ghost”. Mr. Livingston was nominated three times for a Best Song Oscar and was elected to the Songwriters’ Hall of Fame in 1980. ABOUT THE ARTISTS Kyle Gonyea - An accomplished musical theatre performer Kyle's credits include the German Company of Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera (Raoul/Phantom); Beauty and The Beast (Beast) at Allenberry Playhouse; Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Reuben) at Sacramento Music Circus, CA; Cats (Old Duteronomy) at Media; Nights at The Circus (Jack) - NYC Fringe Festival. He has maintained a private voice studio for many years in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Germany, and New York. As well as teaching master classes in voice for the musical theatre for The University of California at Irvine’s New York City satellite program Kyle is on the voice faculty at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York. He also is currently Artistic Director and performer for the world wide corporate entertainment company Mardar Management Inc. Training: B.M. Music; The Hartt School of Music, University of Hartford, CT. Jennifer Houston - Is pleased to be sharing this night with such a gifted group of performers for such a great cause. She has enjoyed many years of performing in such show as Cabaret, Chicago, Smokey Joes’ Café, A Chorus Line, Godspell, and Anything Goes, but her true love is singing rock and country. She has been singing in bands in NYC for the past ten years, but is most proud of her recently released solo project which can be found on itunes (Jen Houston: West 83rd Street). She is also the proprietor of THIS CHICK BAKES baking company. Holli Leggett - A native Texan balances her two passions in New York City: teaching voice and performing. In addition to her private studio (teaching both in Manhattan and Staten Island), she serves on the faculty of the New York American Musical and Dramatic Academy (AMDA). Holli travels around the country teaching Musical Theater classes and Fine Arts Workshops, recently giving workshops in the Catskills in Upstate New York and Houston, TX. Holli earned her Master's Degree at Sam Houston State University. As a performer, Holli had the pleasure of premiering three new operas in New York City, two of which were written for her. Other roles include Violetta in La Traviata, Laetitia in The Old Maid and the Thief, and Ida Strauss (the one who stays with her husband) in Titanic. Holli was an Executive Producer with Opening Doors Theatre Company for two seasons. She served as Producer with their critically acclaimed Closing Notice Series for productions of It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's Superman! and Flora, the Red Menace. Karen Paulemon - This is Karen's first cabaret in the city and she is excited to be included with such a talented group of artists! A graduate of AMDA & New School University. her credits include: Aida (Aida), Miss Saigon (Gigi), Ain't Misbehavin', Showboat (Ethel), Harry the Dirty Dog (Mom/Narrator), All Shook Up (u/s Sylvia/Lorraine), Footloose (Urleen/WendyJo), Jamestown Live! (History Channel), Disney EPCOT Tapestry of Nations Parade, Pal Joey (Tilda) and Sugar. Robert Vest - Actor, Singer, Songwriter. NYC credits and off-Broadway: Together At Last, Just One Of Those Things;A Musical Revue of Cole Porter, Santa Goes Boating, War and Peace (NYC Metropolitan Opera), Enron: The Musical, Georgia Boy, Dressin' Up is Hard To Do, La Contessa's Stars and Stars, La Contessa's Christmas Spectacular. Regional: The Wizard of Oz, Hello Dolly, H.M.S. Pinafore, South Pacific, Guys and Dolls, Amahl and the Night Visitors, A Broadway Christmas Carol. Other credits include Cabaret appearances in NYC's Triad Theatre and the Metropolitan Room, as well as concerts throughout the United States. Robert is in production of a dance mix recording and video of his original song "Santa Goes Boating" and is featured in the upcoming film, For Such A Time As This. A faculty member of the American Musical and Dramatic Academy, NYC, a member of Actor's Equity Association and ASCAP. Training: M.M. Southwestern, Ft. Worth, TX, BM. Shorter College, Rome, GA. Julie Bearden (Arranger / Musical Director / Pianist) Musical Directing credits include The Naples Players (FL) productions of The Music Man, A Little Night Music, Little Shop of Horrors, Fame, I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change, The Secret Garden and The Goodbye Girl. Regional professional productions include Nunsense and A Chorus Line at The Naples Dinner Theatre and Operating Theatre Production’s Songs For a New World (a 911 memorial performance benefiting the Collier Mental Health Association). Julie has produced and musical directed two productions of Hedwig and the Angry Inch in Naples, Florida. Julie musical directed Guys and Dolls and A Chorus Line at the University of Illinois Illini Union Board and various musical theatre camps including the Illinois Summer Youth Music Musical Theatre camp and the Phil Oesterman Summer Musical Theatre Workshops in Fort Myers, Florida. Most recently, Julie was pianist for the premiere production of Our Guy, a new musical by composer Jesse Wiener, at Pace University. Since 2000, Bearden has operated JBS Music, Inc., offering music services (transcription, transposition, orchestrating and arranging). Bearden coaches, accompanies and performs with singers, instrumentalists, choirs and orchestras in New York city and throughout the Southeast and Midwest. Julie has played piano/celesta/synthesizer per-service with the Naples Philharmonic Orchestra since 2000 under numerous conductors including Jorge Mester and Jack Everly and with noted vocalists including Andrea Bocelli (Miami and Tampa) and Bernadette Peters with musical director, Marvin Laird. Julie just made her Avery Fisher Hall debut accompanying a concert of music conducted and composed by Eric Whitacre. David Flora (Conceiver and Director) most recently developed JUST ONE OF THOSE THINGS, a musical revue of Cole Porter for the off-Broadway Algonquin Theatre. He has produced Santa Goes Boating off-Broadway here in NYC as well as with Seaside Repertory Theatre (Fla) and Georgia Boy (NYC). He has been on the staff of Claude McNeal Productions; Actors Theatre of Louisville; Soloway/Levy General Management; The Charlotte Wilcox Company and Tweiss Productions. ABOUT MUSIC AT ST. ALBAN’S Music at Alban's is a community outreach of Saint Alban's Episcopal Church. Now in its seventh season, this critically-acclaimed series of affordable classical concerts by international artists regularly presents seven performances during each season. All performances of the regular season are held in historic Saint Alban's Episcopal Church in Eltingville on Staten Island's South Shore - a cultural icon in the community since 1865. Music at Saint Alban's is a member organization of the Council on the Arts and Humanities for Staten Island (COAHSI) and Chamber Music America (CMA). Information, tickets and season subscriptions are available by calling 718-984-7756 or by visiting www.MusicatSaintAlbans.org. Saint Alban's Episcopal Church is located at 76 Saint Alban's Place, Staten Island, NY 10312. .